Customer Reviews

Blue Screen (Sunny Randall)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It took five books, but Robert B Parker has finally found a woman's voice and attitude for Sunny that I find realistic. The first books had Sunny saying loudly to anyone who would listen that she was strong and independent - then she would promptly crumble and look for a man to rescue her. With Blue Screen, Sunny really does stand on her own - and ironically it's a story that immediately brings her in contact with Jesse Stone, from Parker's other series. This *could* have spelled disaster for Sunny's ability to stand on her own, but the pair actually work well together, supporting each other instead of Stone treating Sunny as a little girl.

Where the previous Sunny books relied too heavily on cute references to every single character found in Spenser novels, we almost have a clean slate here with Blue Screen. We still run into Susan Silverman and Healy every once in a while, but it's toned down from previous rounds. Sunny is brought in by a millionaire who wants to protect his curvy actress, Erin Flint, from harm. Erin is, of course, in traditional Parker fashion, an uppity, obnoxious feminist who thinks all men are slime. We've seen this character a few times before.

Sunny takes on the job, in short order a friend named Misty is slain, and the chase is on. It turns out of course that EVERYONE is lying, and about really idiotic things, too. Did Erin really think her lies would not be found out? There's a difference between not intelligent and completely senseless. There are a number of things happening during this story which are deliberately for plot reasons - and the plot is pretty transparent.

But when you come down to it, this particular story's not about the mystery, or the plot. It's about the romance. Pretty much all focus is on Sunny and Jesse. How is Jesse dealing with his ex-wife who has cheated on him yet again? How is Sunny dealing with her ex-husband who has moved on in life? How can they carefully hook up with each other, with the emotional wounds still so fresh? Should Sunny shave her legs? Should Jesse risk taking a drink again? It's like watching a courtship dance between porcupines - both are lonely, both are really concerned about being hurt again and about hurting the other. Eventually, of course, they find a way to make it work.

I also love Parker's writing style in general. It's what keeps me coming back for more each time. The way he words things, the dialogues he creates, it is poetry in motion. I still laugh out loud when I read Parker - and there are phrases I remember long after I finish the last page.

Still, I have to wonder just where things are going to go now. I really enjoy the Jesse Stone series, and am also liking the made-for-TV versions that have Tom Selleck playing Jesse. I am hoping they go through and make each book into one, and even perhaps start a whole series based on it. Parker was writing all three series - Spenser, Stone and Sunny - side by side. Does this mean the next book will be a Stone book, continuing the story? Up until now, readers could read just "one line" - say just the Stone line - and not feel TOO lost (despite the continual references to Spenser characters). With the incestuous intertwining that has just happened, readers need to have read BOTH lines (the Jesse and the Sunny lines) to really understand the background of both characters and to get all the references in this book. I suppose it's a way for Parker to ensure that people read every single book he writes, if he's going to have every book refer to every other book he's written.

I suppose since I *do* read every book that Parker writes, I don't mind. But I do feel sorry for people who pick this one up having only read the Sunny series - they'll be quite lost about what Stone is all about. I also would look forward to a refocus on the mystery and plot. Yes, I love the human interplay - but where previous Sunny and Stone books were quite nice in their human nature insights, this one was more laid out as a romance novel. The insight was along the lines of "My ex is married, maybe I really should move on with my life."

As a final note, every time I see the title "Blue Screen" I immediately think "Blue Screen of Death", i.e. the Windows screen you get when it crashes. My friends that I talk to have the same response. I imagine this was intended :)

This is the first Robert Parker novel I have read and I was really disappointed. The plot had potential, but was poorly written. The dialogue was terrible with an occassional funny line thrown in. I usually love books with strong female characters, but Sunny Randall was written without any depth. Basically the author makes a few statements that tells the reader that she's a strong character and that's as far as the character development goes. Actually there wasn't much in the way of real development or depth for any of the characters.

I have read every Robert B. Parker novel so of course I have read all the novels featuring Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall. This novel is told from the viewpoint of Sunny Randall but Jesse Stone is the other primary character. In this novel the two team up to solve a murder. The characterization in this novel is fabulous as Parker builds on his previous work to paint a continuing picture of these two endearing characters. The plot seems to be just a backdrop for this character building and that is where the novel falls apart.

The plot finds Sunny Randall being hired by Buddy Bollen, a rich mogul who produces movies and also owns a major league baseball team, as a bodyguard for his lover and film star Erin Flint. It just so happens that Erin is not only a stunning beauty but a terrific athlete as well so Buddy plans to have her play on his major league baseball team, the Connecticut Nutmegs, mainly as a publicity stunt. Erin's personal trainer, Misty, is murdered on the Bollen compound in Paradise, Massachusetts and Erin hires Sunny to solve the murder, suspending her role as bodyguard. Jesse Stone, chief of police of Paradise, brings Sunny into his investigation at her request. Of course Sunny and Jesse begin to unravel the unsavory past of both Erin and Buddy with explosive consequences.

I loved Sunny and Jesse together in this novel, which is what kept me reading, despite the preposterous and unbelievable plot. The interplay between Jesse and Sunny is just simply Parker at his best and was a rewarding part of the novel for those who are fans of both series.

The plot is idiotic and why Parker chose such a ridiculous plot is beyond me. First, Erin Flint is a movie star - she's been in People Magazine and similar publications. As we find about her past, the reader realizes just how unbelievable it is that it was kept so well hidden. In this age of paparazzi and aggressive tabloid media, her past would never have gone undiscovered. Secondly, the major league baseball team, the Connecticut Nutmegs??!! First, nobody in their right mind would put a major league baseball team in Connecticut. Second, even if they did, they WOULD NOT call them the Nutmegs. Finally, Buddy Bollen is an unsavory character with mob connections. Again, in this day and age, there is no way a person like Buddy Bollen would be allowed to own a major league baseball team. There is one other glaring gap in the plot that I can't mention as it would be a spoiler. The plot is just completely unbelievable and that totally ruined the novel for me.

Why, oh why, waste such a wonderful concept of bringing these two interesting characters together on a plot that undermines the body of work? I hope to read more about Sunny and Jesse together - but I really hope for a plot that is deserving of them.

I am getting tired of being disappointed by big name writers whose early works were thoughful but who are now churning out books so quickly they don't even have time to be picked over for weaknesses in plot, characterization, and other qualities of good fiction writing. Ex: James Patterson, Stephen King, and now, added to my list: R.B.Parker.

When these guys started out, they were great. They actually had their books edited, got feedback, made changes along the lines of good fiction writing. Now, it seems that just putting their name on the cover sells, so why bother with good old fashioned editing?

If Parker reads this, I urge him to slow down! He's so busy churning out books and getting movie deals, that he's lost the art of fiction writing.

Case in point: Blue Screen and High Profile. I can't talk about the latter because I couldn't get through the first 10 pages, with all the "he said" and "she said". Since when does a writer have to tag EVERY line of dialogue?

Blue Screen is terribly written. First of all, the plot is uneven. Parker introduces us to a whole set of characters (the Erin Flint entourage) and then drops them flat for most of the novel. The plot gets lost in myriad uninteresting diversions so that at most points, I just didn't care at all about the murder and I couldn't understand why Sunny or Jesse cared, except insofar as it kept them together.

Then, there were various unbelievable aspects of the plot which other reviewers have mentioned. These were terribly distracting. For ex: Why would a P.I. and a police chief go out of their way to rustle the feathers of a dangerous mobster (Moonbeam)and potential murder suspect when there was NO POINT to their interview with him in the first place? And, more disturbing...how is a small town police chief from MA going to travel to LA with his lover/PI to investigate a murder and then get a luxury hotel room for them both to share on police dept funds? How does the reader continue to admire them as professionals? These are just some of the weaknesses. Then, there are outright repetitions in the dialogue that should have been picked up by editors. I could go on and on.

One more point that bothers me about Parker's recent writing: his portrayal of women. Susan Silverman was cool...smart, professional, sophisticated, and loved unconditionally by her man, who's also a smart guy. But Sunny Randall is like every guy's fantasy chick: cute and blonde, drinks just enough to get it on with you and doesn't expect commitment for it, understands that you are still hung up on your wife, but will sleep with you anyway, and doesn't mind that he has her picture on the bedstand! She's not even that smart...she gets her information because she's cute or knows a powerful man who refers her to another powerful man. And then there's Erin Flint, who has NO personality and nothing to say except "they want to kill me because I am going to play baseball" or the "F" word. Where are the real women here?

Needless to say, I am done with new R.B. Parker books. I will go back to Spenser books I may have missed along the way.

Although billed as a Sunny Randall novel, Paradise series character Jesse Stone almost gets as much story time as Sunny.

Sunny is hired first as a bodyguard to D-List movie actress and aspiring baseball player, Erin Flint, by her movie producer, baseball team owner Sugar Daddy, Buddy Bollen. Sunny does not get to act as body guard long before Erin's sister Misty is found with her neck broken. Erin wants her sister's death investigated and Sunny is right for the job with the blessing of Chief of Police Jesse Stone.

Robert Parker safely follows a bluepint of the successful crime novel...flawed tough guy hero, almost as tough heroine, a little romance, obvious bad guys, and a not too complicated plot. The book was engaging but not compelling. I enjoyed it while I was reading then I promptly forgot about it. I do like both Sunny and Jesse. I'm not sure if I like them as a couple. Characters from other Parker novels show up which feels a bit gimmicky.

3.5 Stars

Well, it now appears that the merging of the Parker-verse is complete. We've had Spenser and Jesse Stone together on a case, and the previous Sunny Randall experience, Shrink Rap, was in large part about the titular heroine's initiation of therapy with Spenser's girl, Dr. Susan Silverman. So all that's left is for Jesse and Sunny to work together on a case.

Welcome to Blue Screen.

It's very clear from the get-go, even if you don't read the jacket copy, crossing the streams of these two characters is on Parker's mind, as Sunny goes to meet her client in a fashion time-honored since The Big Sleep. That is, meeting the client on his own rather eccentric turf, in this case, Paradise Mass., the home of one Buddy Bollen.

You could call Buddy a Hollywood Sleazeball, but it might offend Hollywood Sleazeballs. He has an ego as large as his brain is small. He has an expansive mansion, decorated as a tribute to his own infantilism. And he has a movie-star-girlfriend who, while being a stunning physical specimen, is possibly the worst actress on the planet, named Erin Green. She is also, apparently, about to break the gender barrier in Major League Baseball, and Buddy feels there are forces in the game are conspiring to prevent that from happening.

Seems Erin needs protection, and insists on a woman to provide it. Hence, Sunny. Erin is prickly with just about everyone. Rude, self-centered and ignorant. And she hates dogs!

Those familiar with the Sunny Randall series know a key character is Rosie, her miniature Spuds McKenzie, which of course sets up endless conflict between Sunny and her new client. And helps us learn to not like Erin, since Parker is quite fond of making Rosie about the cutest dog on the planet.

Parker is on familiar turf here. Many believe Looking For Rachel Wallace is one of the best in the Spenser series. The difficult-client/heroic-PI format is well-used here again by Parker, as a way to let us into the mindset of a person so used to being property she has forgotten how to be a person.

Soon after hiring on to the case, Erin's assistant, Misty, is murdered. Sunny is summoned to the house, and of course, this being Paradise, the local constabulary is on the scene. That would be Jesse Stone, Suitcase Simpson, and Molly Crane.

Cue the romantic sparks!! As Sunny's followers know, she is tortured by the lack of closure with her ex-husband, and prone to what Erica Jong used to call "zipless" carnal frolic. It's part of what drove her to see Susan Silverman, of course.

So, with convenient revelations regarding both Jesse's ex-wife, Jenn, and Sunny's ex, Richie Burke, the way is paved for Jesse and Sunny. Paved in rose petals, actually. We cheer for these two as they find their way down the path readers know, hope and fear they will take.

As their relationship develops, the case at hand almost takes a back seat. It's at least in the passenger seat, but nevertheless interesting, as Sunny and Jesse travel, at various times, to LA to investigate Buddy's history on that coast, while at the same time, Jesse is able to validate his new life by working with his old boss from the LAPD. On her first trip out to the Left Coast, Sunny finds out not only is Erin's history just a bit murky, but her late assistant Misty was actually her sister. I wouldn't tell you this part if the book flap didn't clumsily say so already. Might've made a fun SURPRISE, eh?

So what we have here is a case, wrapped in a romance, and baked with appropriate care by a man who is so skilled at both, it all feels very natural. Parker delivers some major follow up to the last Jesse Stone novel, Sea Change, here, leading to the idea that he wants all three series to be considered as one.

A small, but interesting, through-line continuing here is the insight longtime Parker readers get of Susan Silverman. Seen through only Spenser's eyes for so long, she has become tiresome to many, we see again her professional side, as observed by Sunny, and it sheds new light on a character whose complexities Spenser readers neither saw nor cared about.

Of course, Parker brings in the rest of Sunny's supporting cast as well, primarily Spike, her best-pal restaurateur, who is caged-lion menace when needed, and empathic friend always. He'll never be a staple the way Hawk is, but he's very entertaining.

Parker is a known quantity, of course. And Blue Screen delivers on the levels that we expect, even demand, from a writer this gifted: Clever first-person perception, snappy dialogue, organic action and quality characterization. And, of course, it makes us eager for the next Spenser!

"Blue Screen" is the 5th Sunny Randall novel by Robert B. Parker who is best known for his Spenser novels. It was only my 2nd Sunny Randall novel, but when I read a review, I discovered that one of the major characters in "Blue Screen" is Jesse Stone, Parker's other series character. Stone is police chief of Paradise, Massachusetts. The review also indicated that Sunny and Jesse have some kind of a relationship, and since I knew from having read all of the Stone novels that Jesse was trying to reconcile with his ex-wife, Jenn. Sunny, a Boston P.I. is hired by Buddy Bollen, a resident of Stiles Island which is a part of Paradise, to be a bodyguard for his girlfriend Erin Flint. Flint is an actress and aspires to be the first female major league baseball player. She and her sister Misty live with Bollen. When Misty is found murdered, Erin asks Sunny to investigate. Sunny and Jesse work to track down the murderer discovering that both Erin and Misty had been hookers and that Bollen had mob ties through some of his movie deals. I enjoyed the teaming of 2 of Parker's major characters and I was able to keep up with Jesse before I read "High Profile". There is even a character from the Spenser novels here. "Blue Screen" is a very entertaining novel.

Now, if we could just have gotten Spenser and Hawk in here, we'd have had a nice little BBQ going. Or maybe a gourmet feast. If Spenser's doing the cooking. A grape and cube of cheese if Susan has anything to say about it. Heh.

If you like Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall in their respective series, you'll like this book wherein they come together for the first time. I like Jesse as a protagonist in his own series, but I must admit to wanting to throttle him when it comes to his drinking and his relationship with his ex. I like Sunny Randall, too, but I admit to wanting to throttle her, too.

Two protagonists with exes. What are the odds that they'll hit it off and have us laughing along the way? Good odds. And that's what this book is--a nice, humorous ride with two smart but damaged protagonists.

PI Sunny Randall is hired by movie producer Buddy Bollen to protect his live-in leading lady Erin Flint. Erin is a beautiful, B-movie actress Buddy plans to have play baseball with this minor league men's team in order to promote her new movie. Erin's assistant is murdered and Erin tries to convince Sunny it's because "they" don't want her on the baseball team. Sunny, working with Paradise, MA police chief Jesse Stone, soon finds that people are not who they say they are and the movie business is more dangerous than she ever imagined.

In many ways, this book is more about the definition of love than it is about the mystery. The mystery, although the weakest element of the book, is good, the bad guys are bad, the characters varied and interesting, the sense of place well defined and the dialogue crisp, concise and extremely well done. The thing I sensed most in this book, as in other recent books by Parker, is how very comfortable and confident he is with his writing. Parker knows his characters, whether they be the main character in this particularly series, ones he brings in as cameos from other series, or completely new. While I should like to see future books focus more on a logical mystery, I found myself interested in what Parker had to say about love. One thing of which I am certain, I always enjoy Parker's writing and this was no exception. I would not, however, recommend someone who has not previously read Parker's Sunny Randall or Jesse Stone books to start here, but start at the beginning of both series.

This book isn't awful it just never drew me in. Both the main characters are regulars from other Parker books. After this I have no desire to try either of them again. I like Parker but these two were both too bland. I read it on a working vacation to Europe and I can't even say this was good "killing time" type reading.